


Breathing

by JaggedCliffs



Series: None of This Was Supposed to Happen [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Brother Feels, F/M, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:20:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaggedCliffs/pseuds/JaggedCliffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor knows Loki can't kill him. Loki found out that he can't kill Thor. They have to figure out what happens next.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathing

The rain had stopped. Although it had not been much of a rain in the first the place, just one of the rainfalls where the sun still shone and it seemed like it should not be raining at all, if it weren't for the wet ground and splashes against exposed skin. As the sparse clouds drifted away, the evening light shone through the building of New York. The reflections of sun off the mortals' glass structures made the city look nearly as golden as Asgard.

Thor noticed it all through his windows, entering his rooms after an outing to one of Stark's favourite restaurants. The Avengers had been joined by the Fantastic Four, the twelve of them trying to eat together surreptitiously as the space travelling family thanked the Avengers for defending their home. He made his way to the largest windows, the ones opening onto his balustrade.

Then he stopped in his tracks.

Loki was outside, leaning against the bars and looking out onto the city. His hair was wet from the rainfall. Thor wondered how long he had been waiting.

Before opening the glass windows, Thor glanced at the area where he had put Loki's weapons. Both dagger and spear looked untouched, though if Loki had taken one he could have easily cast an illusion. Not that it mattered. If Loki wished for another blade, it would have been easy enough for him to procure one.

Quietly, though not bothering to hide his presence, Thor stepped outside and closed the window, joining his brother at the railing. He looked out over the human city of glass and metal and stone, glancing out of the side of his eyes at Loki.

His brother did not turn. Loki continued gazing out at the city he had wrought destruction upon so many years ago (and more recently, though to a lesser extent). They were silent for a few minutes. With the golden sunlight and his brother at his side, Thor thought he could close his eyes and pretend they were back on Asgard. Before...everything. Then Loki spoke.

“I don't want you dead.”

Thor snapped his head around. Loki's voice was flat, conveying as little emotion as his face. But while Loki remained unmoving, Thor felt something bright and hopeful uncurl in his stomach and beat in his heart.

“I'm glad to hear that, Loki,” Thor replied (and it was an understatement of unspeakable proportions). He broke out in a smile that felt like it would split his face. But he did no more, waiting for Loki to continue.

Loki stood unmoving as a statue, sun nearly erasing the dark shadows under his eyes and casting a golden shine on his face. Then he blinked and looked downwards, fists clenched upon the railing, surely leaving dents in the metal.

“But now I don't know what to do.” It came all in rush of breath, barely loud enough to be heard over the vehicles far beneath them. And Thor knew Loki was afraid, uncertain of a future never fully planned out in the first place.

Hesitantly, Thor laid a hand over one of Loki's, his breath nearly catching in his throat when Loki didn't pull away. “If you cannot stand to see me dead...” he started, and when Loki finally looked at him, face still blank, his heart thundered in his chest and he had to swallow before continuing. “Why not protect me?”

Loki looked taken aback, then snorted. “Is this your way of trying to get me to join your merry band of pet mortals?”

Thor shook his head, smiling because Loki hadn't rejected the idea straight away. “No, not quite.” Though Thor wouldn't mind trying to work towards that possibility. “But how about fighting by my side? Defending my back? Like you used to?” Loki looked away, and Thor winced but kept going. “Like you did with Malekith?”

Loki turned back sharply, eyebrows raised incredulously. “I betrayed you and your mortal-”

“And then the elves.”

“-nearly getting the both of you killed.”

“Though our deaths were never your intent, were they?” Certainly not Thor's death. Although Thor didn't think Jane shared Loki's favour to quite the same extent, even if Loki's admired her mind (and her forwardness when slapping gods), and her survival was only a happy coincidence (one Thor thanked the Norns for).

Mouth slightly agape, Loki stared for moment before shutting his mouth with a snap. Turning back to the city view, Loki shook his head before sighing, “I knew you never had much sense.” He shifted, leaning his arms against the railing and resumed his contemplation of the city. The golden glow was disappearing, and the encroaching dark threw shadows of Loki's face into stark relief. If anything, Loki looked worse than he had three days ago in Norway. But the mad, almost desperate gleam to his eyes was gone, bringing a peace to Loki's face that Thor had not seen in long time.

“Well,” Loki said, and Thor could hear the start of grin in his voice, “I have fallen out of Doom's favour anyway.”

Without another word, Loki spun away from the railing, his back to Thor, and Thor thought his heart would burst, because _Loki had accepted_ , _Loki might stop driving himself into madness_ , _Loki would stop wreaking havoc upon his friends and Midgard and all the nine realms_ , _Loki could be his_ brother _again_ ( _but not quite as before, because_ before _had been what first poisoned Loki's mind_ ).

With the hope and joy and cresting over him, a smile so wide it began to hurt, he was nearly too late when he realized Loki was about to leave again.

“Loki, wait,” he said, he reached out, grabbing Loki's arm before his brother could disappear. Loki stopped, turning his head just enough that Thor could see a corner of one eye. There were so many things he wanted to say, that he wanted Loki to hear. _I love you. I miss you. I never want to hurt you again. I want you to be happy_. But he didn't believe Loki would accept any of them, without throwing them back in his face. So all he said was, “Be safe.”

Loki nodded, turning back enough so Thor could see the small grin inching across his face, then Thor was left staring at was the Migardian city, its man-made lights flickering on to chase away the oncoming night.

 

 

Whenever Thor ventured to the realms outside of Asgard and Midgard, no matter how far, he could always spot something following him. Generally a bird native to the realm, or another swift-footed animal if birds were uncommon. And Thor generally found his paths fraught with less danger or traps. (In fact, the travel was nearly _boring_. Though Loki seemed to realize this, so from time to time there was something to fight). When on diplomatic missions, there would occasionally be tapping at his window, and when Thor opened it up in would fly a magpie, or a crow, or a falcon. As the bird darted around the room a little spark of gold would fly up from a corner or two, destroying an eavesdropping spell or something more sinister. And as he dreamt at night, he would be struck by inspiration about how to talk to the other realm's diplomats, and what to say to garner the best deal with littlest fuss.

On Midgard, the Fantastic Four suddenly found several very clever ways of entering Latveria without Dr. Doom noticing. The villainous team-ups of the Frightful Four (probably to spite Doom) and the Sinister Six (because Loki seemed fond of the prank-loving Spider-Man) suddenly dissolved as the members inexplicably fell into discord, fighting each other instead of the heroes they were meant to dispose of. And when the Avengers went off to battle, Thor seemed to emerge nearly untouched, moreso than usual even when taking into account his near-invulnerability next to the mortals. At times, (if Thor was very lucky and Loki was feeling charitable), a green, black, and gold blur could be seen taking down (one or two of) the Avenger's enemies. If the Avengers noticed, they said nothing to him.

Perhaps it was because the Avengers understood the value of atonement and second chances not only because of their compassion, but because of experience. Though Thor was told little of it, he knew Lady Natasha's past was bloody and cruel. When he was more drunk than usual, Stark would speak bitterly of his war profiteering days, and Thor would listen and do his best to comfort the normally brash and sarcastic man. Banner felt guilt over the destruction and death wrought by his other self. While short lived, even Barton had fallen into crime before he was saved by S.H.I.E.L.D., then passed the favour on to Lady Natasha. Rogers had always been of pure and good heart, but he was a good friend to his formerly indoctrinated companion Barnes. Though it was easy to forget, the Maximoff twins had only recently escaped the influence of their father and his supremacist Brotherhood.

And more times than he would admit, Thor would be haunted by those he had slaughtered and injured without a second thought in his youth, relishing the battle and bloodshed.

If his friends could find redemption through fighting those who threaten Midgard and it's people, then perhaps Loki could too.

 

 

Loki never came to Asgard. And Thor knew better than to hope.

Asgard would not welcome Loki back. Thor would forgive Loki, just as Frigga would. Father would as well, but Thor knew Father had a duty as king. If Loki returned to Asgard, Odin would have no choice but to punish him. And Thor had no doubt that a few hundred years, isolated in the dungeons, would only send Loki spiralling back into his madness and hate.

Perhaps Loki no longer had a home on Asgard, or at least not for the time being.

But maybe Loki could have a home at Thor's side.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, look, it's over. Thanks to all of you reading this, and I hope you liked the mostly happy ending (because we will never get one in canon). I'm also sorry for any repeated insinuations that a redemptive and reintegration-focused prison system is better than a punitive one, but it was unavoidable in this case (but again, sorry about the politics). And I the feeble guesses I made at the plot of Thor 2 are probably completely incorrect, so don't take my words for anything.


End file.
